Looking for a good junior shotgun

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shaner82

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Want to get my son his own gun. Obviously it will technically be mine, but he would be the only one to use it. He shoots my 22 and enjoys going hunting with me, but he isn't strong enough to shoot my shotguns just yet.

Looking for a 20 gauge or 410 that's light and has a short barrel. Doesn't have to be a particularly good gun, just want it to be something that introduces him to shotguns, so cheap would actually be better.

Any suggestions?
 
A really light weight 20 gauge can be a real kicker and sour him with recoil. In many ways your better off to get a 12 gauge and find some low recoil shells, as long as he can lift the gun it will be pleasant enough to shoot. A 410 isn't a bad choice for short term but it's really hard to hit anything with them for a beginner.
 
shaner82 said:
Want to get my son his own gun. Obviously it will technically be mine, but he would be the only one to use it. He shoots my 22 and enjoys going hunting with me, but he isn't strong enough to shoot my shotguns just yet.

Looking for a 20 gauge or 410 that's light and has a short barrel. Doesn't have to be a particularly good gun, just want it to be something that introduces him to shotguns, so cheap would actually be better.

Any suggestions?
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My son (who's 11) has shot my Rossi youth .410 a few times. It's a super light weight plastic stock, break open action with an external hammer.

Its awesome.

Just out of curiosity though, I was checking out Mossberg 510 mini's. They seem to be fairly decent, but I haven't try nor seen one other than in a youtube video.

Let us know what you decide to go with, I have a feeling I'll be following your foot steps sooner than later.

David
 
Falconflyer said:
A really light weight 20 gauge can be a real kicker and sour him with recoil. In many ways your better off to get a 12 gauge and find some low recoil shells, as long as he can lift the gun it will be pleasant enough to shoot. A 410 isn't a bad choice for short term but it's really hard to hit anything with them for a beginner.
Click to expand...

I was inquiring a few weeks ago about the mini 12ga shells from either Aguila or Federal. They are 12ga shells that are 1.75" long. I figured my son could practice a bit with those with almost no recoil. I was planning on getting some eventually to try in the spring.

Caveat: There might be some feeding problems with certain guns (Mossbergs seem to require an adapter).

David
 
I'd suggest that you stay away from any gun with exposed hammers. Having taught hunter ed for more than 30 years, it was the hammer guns that kids had the most trouble handling safely. They just don't have the finger strength or dexterity, at least not right away. I saw many many "accidental discharges" in class ( of course the guns were not actually loaded )
I have settled on the Baikal hammerless hinge action single shots as a beginner instruction tool and hunting gun. Light, cheap, rugged, with cocking indicator and with a cross bolt safety. If you can find one in improved cylinder choke or have the choke reamed to IC, they are decent beginner gun. And they can shoot steel if the choke is open enough. "Short" barrels are a handicap to shooting a shotgun effectively. I would not cut the barrel down from the standard length. Others may feel differently. The stock should fit, so cut that down but save the wood. A long stock is a handicap for a small person.
 
Longwalker said:
I'd suggest that you stay away from any gun with exposed hammers. Having taught hunter ed for more than 30 years, it was the hammer guns that kids had the most trouble handling safely. They just don't have the finger strength or dexterity, at least not right away. I saw many many "accidental discharges" in class ( of course the guns were not actually loaded )
I have settled on the Baikal hammerless hinge action single shots as a beginner instruction tool and hunting gun. Light, cheap, rugged, with cocking indicator and with a cross bolt safety. If you can find one in improved cylinder choke or have the choke reamed to IC, they are decent beginner gun. And they can shoot steel if the choke is open enough. "Short" barrels are a handicap to shooting a shotgun effectively. I would not cut the barrel down from the standard length. Others may feel differently. The stock should fit, so cut that down but save the wood. A long stock is a handicap for a small person.
Click to expand...

i second the hammerless.

my oldest uses a "family" 20 ga single.
its old and heavy so the recoil is fine.

The issue is the hammer. He is 14 now and still struggles with it. I need to get him set up and be there to safely let it down too.
 
Wow, that's an eye opener longwalker.

I always thought the hammer was a visual indicator that would help a novice. My son has shot the rossi on numerous occasions (with the .22lr barrel) and didn't have any problems cocking the hammer. He's 11 yrs old.

David
 
I bought a Benelli Nova youth in 20ga this summer from one of the site sponsors. 3" chamber, 24" barrel, 13" LOP stock. Same price as the youth Rem 870. No complaints on recoil by either my 14yo son or 13yo daughter. We shot targets and grouse with game loads, and ducks with steel loads this fall.

I was planning on selling it as they got older, and I'm sure I could get decent money for it. However, it's is so light and handy that I might keep it around!

Tim
 
I took another skinny beginner out this fall. Shooting shotgun for the first time, he found my 20 ga. Baikal single shot a bit too much recoil with standard target loads. Rather than let him shoot more and perhaps become really scared of the gun, I switched and let him shoot my standard weight 12 ga. O/U with the Federal mini shells. Success! The bigger heavier gun was not too big for his long frame and he loved the lack of recoil. When we went hunting I switched to standard 2-3/4" full power field loads, and he didn't even notice. Killed a few birds too. It was important to get his confidence level up first, have some fun, and let him stop worrying about getting hurt by recoil.

And regarding hammerless / hammer guns: Cocking a hammer gun is seldom a problem for a youngster. Letting the hammer down after it is cocked but not shot is the big challenge. Some can do it, some have trouble. If your kid is learning on a hammer gun, please be sure to practise letting the hammer down in a safe manner. Open the action first, then let the hammer down to half #### position.
 
I’ve said this here many times - a 20 gauge semi in youth/ladies configuration is an excellent platform to introduce young/new shooters. A Remington 11-87 20 ga Youth is what I’ve used and my girls really took to it well. Heavy enouh to absorb recoil, but balanced and fits a smaller shooter.
 
I have two thin-framed daughters that I’ve been fortunate enough to get to introduce to the shotgun. I can’t say enough good about the mossberg 510 mini 410 and the mossberg 500 youth bantam 20ga:


The secret to the 20ga is Winchester’s AA low-recoil + low-noise ammunition...that combined with the weight of the wood furniture makes it manageable for my daughter. Despite recently upgrading her to a 12ga set up with a stock with similar dimensions, she still prefers her 20ga. I upgrade her shells when we go for ducks and geese, and she does just fine...:)

Best of luck; shooting with these two have been the best days of my life.

Cheers,

Brobee
 
The guns that I have kicked more where light single shot 12 and 20 ga. Had a real nice Ithica 20 ga o/u 500 model I think, hated it. A 12 ga was easier to shoot. Fit may have been part od the problem. SA 20would be a nice youth gun I would think , never had one. Good point about the hammers
 
mossberg 500 youth bantam 20ga my son has been using it since he was 8? Four years of shooting. Trap. Steel for waterfowl. It has had thousands of rounds out of it. Never a problem. Unless you call falling in the mud with an open action. Closing the action full of mud. Expecting to wipe it off and have it function well. I am pretty sure I paid less than 300 from Cabelas. Super Handy all round gun. Fits across the quad perfect! Great gun. If they go on sale again I will prob get a new one for my youngest son. He gets all his brothers hamy downs. A new gun is prob justified.
 
Ive been shooting alot of 20ga lately thru 3 different guns. First a huglu sxs dual trigger straight stock. It kicks more than any of my 12ga double guns and thats 7/8oz vs 1 1/8oz. Second is a charles daly semi auto in black synthetic. Super light but fits well. The gas system knocks off some recoil. I find it still kicks more than my 12ga 1100 but softer than my doubles. Lastly i shoot a beretta xplor 20ga. It is by far the softest shooting gun i own until my 28ga xplor arrives
That said i think the 410 is best for introduction to shotguns and thats what my daughter will learn the basics of shotgunning on. The issue occurs when ppl expect it to behave like a 20 or 12.
The key is to start with stationary targets and a gun that fits and is light enough that it doesnt fatigue the shooter and not beat the crap out of them with recoil.
Start with balloons or water balloons set at 15 yards or so. Easy to hit even if not directly hit. The visual of hitting targets that react helps overcome the fear of recoil and noise. Move the balloons further back as they get comfortable then switch to things like clay targets or other smaller reactive targets. When theyre comfortable with that and can load and unload the 410 safely then move them up in gauge to low recoil shells again making sure the gub still fits. The mossbergs bantans and mini bantans are great starting guns. With those types of guns then introduce the kids to flying targets. Start with slower lobbed going away targets. Too many times i see ppl show up hand a kid a gun and say ok hit this clay at 42mph. The kids get discouraged quickly and its not just kids ive seen adults do the same
My daughter will start with a 9mm flobert then progress thru the 410 and 28ga and hopefully settle in the 20ga and 12ga range. Shes not even 3 yet but gets excited seeing the green cases come out
Best of luck
 
My oldest started with the 20 youth bantam. Like you said. Stationary targets. Mellons. Clays on a sand bank. With in a couple months he was shooting every 12g we had out. He really likes the cooey 84. Dosnt like the recoil of it. But he was dropping flying clays in a couple of months. My youngest is 7. He hits stationary targets with the 20. We only do 2-3 rounds each time. He gets his fix. When his stance improves he will be shooting more. Constantly reminding him. Take one step forward. Lean into it.
 
I bought my daughter a Beretta 391 “RL” in 20ga. It was and still is perfect for her. I skipped the whole “shooting at stationary targets” thing beyond shooting a pattern board so she could understand the function of the gun and how it hits where you look. I went right to easy clay targets like low house station 7 skeet and she picked it right up. She was shooting sporting clays in no time.

Best advice I ever got, was if she or you are getting frustrated, let someone else coach your kid and remove yourself from the scenario.
 
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